Marka Ragnos

Accepted. It strikes me also that Didier Deschamps is one person who knows them each personally and has worked with them. If played together, there is every possibility that Digne will pass to Kamara and Kamara to Diaby in a diagonal from left back to right wing. I want to see that at least once.

Noted: Debt to Bouba and Luca for getting him over the line. They helped convince him.

Is it pronounced ear-rogue-bun-am with the accent on the second syllable, and is the a sound in "am" like bath or trap? Iroegbunam

It's really an unpleasant situation right now. Things just feel very diffused and confused in the world of social media. I actually used to like Twitter (I have a struggling little account) and never liked Instagram -- my life is too boring for lots of photos of my breafast, etc. Threads still is basically Instagram to me. The people I know on there who post are just putting exactly what they usually put on 'Gram on Threads. I don't get it yet. I would appreciate desktop web access to Threads -- maybe I missed that or it's coming? But the blue checkmark-tied post-promoting on Twitter is also just ruining it. All the diarrhoea is floating to the top of the toilet water. We've seen it just in football twitter. All these stupid trolls posting lies are getting all the audience -- and lies flow with 100% impunity. What's the point? I have trouble finding posts I care about on Twitter, too, because there's so much garbage to wade through.

I looked it up. Wow. You don't know how lucky you are. Chip butties, saveloys, plaice -- AND side orders of cockles! And gravy, too. And chip curry. The cockles seem like exotica to me.

What's the best chippy you know anywhere? Why is it the best? When I lived in London, I think I tried them all lol, from the super-posh "boutique chippies" (no thanks) to takeaways that cooked several different cuisines in the same two fryers (nothing like cod that tastes like an eggroll!). I tended to like the very down-to-earth fish and chip shops, often run by Greek families, it seemed. I wasn't a chippy to me if it didn't offer chip butties and fried saveloys -- the bedrock of a nutritious diet, obviously. Never really had patience for mushy peas. I liked one chippy on Essex Road in Islington that seems to have closed. Just very clean and unpretentious but probably very unfashionable. Even a few years ago, it seemed harder to find shops like this.

He's a great interview! Tyrone's early public school education at Millfield seems to come through here, too. Isn't there a bit of poshness in that accent? Am I mishearing this with my American ears? Is that a stupid question?

I loved when Diego came forward very quickly up the center with the ball vs. Newcastle. He passed forward, but a Toon player managed to stick his foot out and stop it. Diego was angry at himself. Still, I loved it. It was like a big fist punching forward. Risky, but what a presence. Love this guy, personally. He might be aggressive, but he also shows a lot of humility and intelligence.

Haha. I've been thinking the same for weeks ... "great minds" (or mediocre ones lol) Yup, and I think his contract runs to the year 3000 or something. Apparently yes, as @mjmooney says. But when I look at those Leverkusen reels of Leon and Moussa together, they more or less obviate the concept of strikers. Those two together cut through defenses like dual-wielded blades ... (and yes, I just needed to use this gif). Who even needs a striker then?

Yeah, I don't disagree at all. And you're right about Ollie and Boub. Bottom line for me: If possible, may want to keep Cam and Jhonny and Ollie -- AND still get a new striker, ready-for-amaze talent, too --- but we also need more information before any big decisions are made. I think if Cam plays a couple more matches like that, then we'll know.

No. I don't think so. But let's face it. We don't have much PL-based evidence as supporters right now on Archer. What we saw Sunday was a player who was able to keep possession and take command of the ball but who also seemed to get himself into cul-de-sacs a lot. He made loads of inconclusive backward passes and lateral passes. Almost every time he got the ball, within a minute it was back at Newcastle's grubby feet. Preseason matches should matter. I don't know about "deserve" (can't run a football club that way), but I think it would be wise, on logic, to give him another big chance. It's "only preseason" is meaningless to me. It's more about giving Emery and company a chance to learn more about how he would do. But some real evidence is beginning to emerge. He faced Lascelles head on, one-on-one, and he lost, for example. I can't unsee that. He could not get past the man. No ambiguity there. But it's a tiny sampling, for sure, and that has to be factored into any decision about how to integrate or move on from Archer. Based on all I've seen, I just don't think he's quite talented enough for top of the table progress for the Villa. I actually think Jhonny would work better for us in that role -- and that we still will need someone with explosive abilities in the box.

Needs to go. It's strictly business.

And ... he hasn't really been scoring much for the last few years. And he's often injured.

More risible and nonsensical AI-produced and/or fool-assisted journalism ... I've really been thinking about how profitable it can apparently be to release nonsense in the self-published football transfer-reporting world. People must be making money off this stuff because it pretty much means none of them will be working for major outlets.

Is there a diplomatic way of putting this? I don't want to be accused of lookism. Seeing all the Newcastle supporters and all the Villa supporters together in one place in America, you start to form little impressions. Let me just put it this way: I think we comes across better. Is that OK to say that?

Buendia was so ruthless. I swear to god the "Toon Army" was just sitting there slack-jawed. I kind of wonder if what we're seeing in Buendia is someone who gets that he's in an incredible position at an incredible club now with incredible opportunities just hanging there for the taking, and that this is his moment--and it may never come again if he doesn't take advantage of it. He's definitely levelled up a few times since the spring.

Mbappé Too bad the Saudis aren't as generous towards their own people ...

I feel distressed and sad to see Israeli sliding toward authoritarianism. I can't believe it -- don't want to believe it. It disrespects the memories of Jewish European refugees and their descendants who escaped such damaging hatred.

@mjmooney?

I feel the same, but feelings are just feelings. He did have the ball entirely under his control at times yesterday in decent spots, and my impression was that he just wasn't able to thread through defenders. I have this vision of him dribbling right up to centre backs and just sort of stopping in front of them. Just a hot take, take it however you will, but I was watching Philogene again and again on the ball outsmarting opponents trying to tackle him, so the bar was set high for me impression-wise. I don't have any agenda. I'm not anti-Archer. I just didn't see any magic. Maybe just a "slow day at the office." Which is fine. Preseason is pre. As a supporter, you make assessments based on the little bits of what you see and what you've learned, and it goes without saying, it's a very limited perspective. On the other hand, I can't pretend I didn't see what I saw.

What kind of striker would we need anyway? That's my question. There are so many different types. What do you think would work well with Emery? A sneaky old hand like Cavani at Man U, who had such masterful positioning? A pacey youngster? A sniper?

I don't know how many times I watched Almirón (and I have to say, I love/hate that kid -- he is amazing to witness) yesterday sprinting past Digne for balls "over the top" of our high line. Isak was trying it and getting caught offside. It makes me worried, this vulnerability. BUT ... All that said, it's unthinkable that Emery would stop trying to play the high line, and I'm glad and I don't want him to stop. Yes, very risky, but, well, he's good at it, as his work at Villarreal attests. We see Liverpool drawings lots of offsides, but Villarreal was right up there under Emery. It's going to make for a dramatic season coming up.

Confirmed:

The bigger problem is finding one, methinks. The market is tiny and pricey and so many other clubs seem to be desperate for one, too, especially in the £40m-£60m range -- eg, Man United.